Diving in DC

[envirovannas]

Whoa,

Never noticed this site before, but it's about time... As novice divers who live nowhere near a dive site and who personally know few other divers, my wife and I have found that deciding where to go for our next dive vacation and which dive shop to use is a time-consuming process at best, and a disappointing one at worst.

Do you folks out there find the postings truly honest in terms of what sites have been degraded and which resorts/operators are inept, unprofessional, or could give a toss about protecting the reefs they make their livelihood from? I hope so. Not unlike travel guides in general, articles in diving mags tend to rank everything on a scale from great to spectacular. And as we know, these reviews can bear little relation to the reality we pay dearly to experience.

My fingers are crossed, as this forum could be a really useful discovery. I do wonder about the fact that there's advertising on the site...

Cheers,
R&K

 

[DandyDon]

Howdy!

And welcome to SB - the biggest, the best, the fastest growing, and the friendliest! If you'll click ScubaBoard.com above, you'll be taken to our long list of forums, a wealth of information and resources. At the bottom, be sure to notice the Local & Singles Dive Club forums.

PM me if I can help you learn your way around; that is - click my username to the upper left, then follow the prompts to send me a "Personal Message."

don

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Do you folks out there find the postings truly honest in terms of what sites have been degraded and which resorts/operators are inept, unprofessional, or could give a toss about protecting the reefs they make their livelihood from?

Yes, for the most part.

The postings are honest, however, opinions may vary from poster to poster. Recently, for example, a member had a lousy week in Dominica. In response, other members raved about how their experiences had been exactly the opposite. Same deal with a recent holiday cruise on a Blackbeards vessel. Each set of posters was 'honestly' describing their experience with operators and dives. Their reactions, however, were diametrically opposed to one another.

You pays your money and you takes your choice.

Plus, if you're in DC, there's a buttload of excellent diving close enough to make vacation diving suck in comparison. Depends on what you want to do.

I suggest you lurk for awhile and do some searches. You'll quickly get a feel for the board. Welcome to SB.

 

[Matt the Aquaman]

Hey there R&K, welcome to Scuba Board! and safe diving :butnhome:

Click here to greet a new member! :happywave
No experience needed and it feels great!​

 

[Scott Riemer]

Hello R&K, welcome to Scubaboard!

 

[Mrs.Prages]

Hey there,

Welcome. I hope you find some good information. There are some good places to get in some Scuba and not all of them are that far from DC.

We live in WV, but I travel to DC a lot for work. MT. Storm is a nice place to go for practice diving and a gaurantee of warm water. Also Virginia, NC and SC have some nice coastal diving. Not as tropical as Cozumel or the Bahamas, but great experiences on their own I'm sure.

Keep lurking, I have learned a lot from the folks on this board and have even found people to hookinto for trips. So just keep your eyes open.

 

[cornfed]

Plus, if you're in DC, there's a buttload of excellent diving close enough to make vacation diving suck in comparison. Depends on what you want to do.

For example... http://www.atlanticunderwater.com/divesites/

 

[RICHinNC]

hey En...

I find when I look at the bank account that gives me a dang good idea where I may or may not be going on my next dive trip.

Do you guys have an idea of the general territory you would be willing to go to???

Do you want to stay in the US....or go to the Caribbean.....or maybe to Bonaire
in the Netherland Antilles???? Got a clue???

Once you at least narrow it down to a particular region, the board members can then give you their recent experiences in those areas. Less than a month ago I was in Bonaire...but that means zip to you if you are interested in the Florida keys.

Take care and welcome to the board.......give us a little more to work with !!
rich

 

[cornfed]

My fingers are crossed, as this forum could be a really useful discovery. I do wonder about the fact that there's advertising on the site...

To make a long story short... You can't host a site for free and one this size is pretty expensive to run. If you're worried about the whole "Rodales sucks because they only give good reviews to their advertisers" well don't be.

 

[baltimoron]

hey hey and welcome to scubaboard from the other beltway!!

~ Zack